New DIY Two Part Recipes with Higher pH Boost

[zachxlutz]

Sure!

The way I knew there were 6 water molecules in the strontium chloride was that the picture of the label shows: SrCl2 6 H2O (blow it up to see that, probably can't see it on a phone)

To get the percentage of pure strontium chloride present, you find the molecular weight of SrCl2 (google it as mw SrCl2; google is a pretty smart chemist; alternatively, add up the molecular weights of all the elements in it). It is 158.5 g/mole. mw is short for molecular weight

Same for SrCl2 6H2O (googling mw SrCl2 6H2O) shows it to be 266.6

So the percentage of SrCl2 in SrCl2 6H2O is 158.5/266.6 = 0.5945 = 59.45% ~60%
I didn't take the starting purity of 95% on the label into account, but you could add 5% more if you want to do that. Problem is it may be a minimum and the actual purity may be higher.

Same way for CaCl2: mw = 111 g/mole
mw ClCl2 2H2O = 147
% CaCl2 --> 111/147 --> ~76% I know that Dowflake always listed it as 77%, so I used that instead since these products may not be fully 2 H2O and I figured Dow knew the "most likely" hydration level.

Thanks for the crash course. I'll pour over this.

 

[gobble]

If I'm dosing BRS two-part (Randy's recipe), can I tweak that somehow to get to this higher PH formula? Does anyone think BRS will modify and offer a higher PH version?

 

[zachxlutz]

If I'm dosing BRS two-part (Randy's recipe), can I tweak that somehow to get to this higher PH formula?

If you're already using BRS two-part then you already have the calcium/magnesium portion of this recipe. The only other things you'll need are the sodium hydroxide and the sodium sulfate, which are readily available on amazon, etc.

 

[gobble]

Ok, so I'd be swapping out the Alk with something different, not just supplementing that component.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok, so I'd be swapping out the Alk with something different, not just supplementing that component.

There’s a second thread here with that exact substitution.

 

[Xanka]

Could some one explain to me how and howlong you bake baking soda?

 

[WWIII]

Could some one explain to me how and howlong you bake baking soda?

From @Randy Holmes-Farley original article on the subject...

"Spread baking soda (594 grams or about 2 ¼ cups) on a baking tray and heat in an ordinary oven at 300°F for one hour to drive off water and carbon dioxide. Overheating is not a problem, either with higher temperatures or longer times."

Find article here...

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php#5

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Like a turkey, the more you put in a tray the longer it takes. Some people are using so much that it doesn’t get hot enough in that time, so 400 is a good temp. It can’t be over cooked in a home oven.

 

[Xanka]

Okay let's give it a try in Belgium :-)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok, so I'd be swapping out the Alk with something different, not just supplementing that component.

Here's the direct substitution thread, swapping out sodium carbonate (baked baking soda) and swapping in sodium hydroxide to make a 3 part:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/second-new-diy-two-part-recipe-with-higher-ph-boost.357080/

 

[zachxlutz]

Week 1 Update: Success!

Here's my pH from the last week for reference (original BRS recipe/randy's #1):

Here's my pH from this past week (New two-part recipe):

The average pH has risen from 8.02 to 8.11. pH across the board has increased, day and night. Alkalinity has remained stable, but may be falling a tiny bit, either due to an increase in growth due to the higher pH or possibly just continuing the trend of increased consumption due to new frags, larger colonies, etc. I'll continue to monitor and increase dosing as needed. I'm currently dosing .90 dkh and 6.285 ppm daily, which equates to 90 ml of the recipe strength solution into approximately 140 gallons of water.

Thanks again @Randy Holmes-Farley . I'll update in the future once I get through 1 gallon of the solution as a follow up.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Good to hear. Thanks for the update!

 

[Tmmste]

I think these new recipes are absolutely awsome. I will be adding some potassium chloride to the Ca mix (i'll just replace what wil removed for a salinity correction.. I believe this is very close to the amount you added as an impurity in your calciumchloride (3600ppm:100000ppm ca)), however, the kH mix now contains sulfates and I do not know if potassium iodide and sodiumtetraborate will react with this.. I also asked the same question in your 3-part version, but I like this one better (easier). Hopefully you are willing to answer this question too randy. If they do react.., and it is not possible to mix with the kH containing sulfates, is there a way to overcome this?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think these new recipes are absolutely awsome. I will be adding some potassium chloride to the Ca mix (i'll just replace what wil removed for a salinity correction.. I believe this is very close to the amount you added as an impurity in your calciumchloride (3600ppm:100000ppm ca)), however, the kH mix now contains sulfates and I do not know if potassium iodide and sodiumtetraborate will react with this.. I also asked the same question in your 3-part version, but I like this one better (easier). Hopefully you are willing to answer this question too randy. If they do react.., and it is not possible to mix with the kH containing sulfates, is there a way to overcome this?

KCl and KI can go in either part. The borate in the alk part. :)

 

[nanomania]

That's likely an OK product to use. You won't likely find food grade as I doubt it gets added to foods.

Note that with the 6 water molecules in that structure, it is only 60% strontium chlorrde by weight.

The 500 grams of calcium chloride you are using is probably the recipe amount in thit thread, which means it is the dihydrate, about 77% calcium chloride.

This 500 grams calcium chloride dihydrate is really about 385 grams of anhydrous calcium chloride.

1.3% of that is 5 grams, which, when corrected for this product being only 60% strontium chloride, you'd use 8.3 grams. :)

I should have made those issues clearer. Sorry. ;)

500 g of calcium chloride dihydrate plus 261.2 g of magnesium chloride hexahydrate and 8.3grams of strontium chloride in a total of 1 gallon.. thats ok??

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

500 g of calcium chloride dihydrate plus 261.2 g of magnesium chloride hexahydrate and 8.3grams of strontium chloride in a total of 1 gallon.. thats ok??

Yes, assuming the strontium chloride is the hydrated form (hexahydrate) that those numbers are intended for. [emoji4]

 

[Tmmste]

Dear randy I noticed sulfate is around 19% of chloride (13,8 NSW) when sodium is 55,7%. This includes the compensation for the elements lost to reduce salinity and keep salinity stable. I will get back to this tomorrow and add the calculations. I just wondered if that is also what you found. I am unable to reduce sulfates without lowing nitrates and skew the balance between sodium and chloride (Na declines).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Dear randy I noticed sulfate is around 19% of chloride (13,8 NSW) when sodium is 55,7%. This includes the compensation for the elements lost to reduce salinity and keep salinity stable. I will get back to this tomorrow and add the calculations. I just wondered if that is also what you found. I am unable to reduce sulfates without lowing nitrates and skew the balance between sodium and chloride (Na declines).

Sorry, I’m not understanding what you are saying or asking. Are you referring to a specific situation in your aquarium?

Sulfate and chloride trade off against each other (one up means the other is likely down), but sodium, being positively charged, does not respond that way to either of these.

 

[nanomania]

Yes, assuming the strontium chloride is the hydrated form (hexahydrate) that those numbers are intended for. [emoji4]

Thanks.. currently im using kalk too, but my mag levels are too low and also my alk some how stays 6.9 instead of 7.2 that i generally maintain. Im using reef adv cal and reef builder. What do u suggest? Or shud i dose kalk and mag with sr or stop kalk and continue only with reef adv cal and reef builder. Im confused.

 

[Tmmste]

Sorry, I’m not understanding what you are saying or asking. Are you referring to a specific situation in your aquarium?

Sulfate and chloride trade off against each other (one up means the other is likely down), but sodium, being positively charged, does not respond that way to either of these.

What I mean is that the ratio between sodium:chloride and sulfats:chloride (some may say ionic balance) is slightly skewed. Everyone needs to replace x amount of saltwater with rodi-water eventually. I basically calculate how much water I need to replace in order to stablize salinity and also how much of each element is removed by doing so. (I have no skimmer pulling out x amount of water everythime so like to know exaftly how much water I need to remove manually) No matter what size tank/how concentrated the solution is.. salts are added in a fixed amount for each gram of elements dosed.
e.g. 2.5 liter needs to be removed for every 40gr of sodiumhydroxide (and equal part calcium ofcoursd) is dosed. Than this will incle 2.5l x 2700 mg SO4 = 6,75 gr of SO4 that will be lost when removing water. (each liter of nsw has 2700mg sulfates, each liter has x amount of ca/mg/sr/b/k.. and calculate back how much mgchlorde/cachloride etc is removed by x amount of water and compesate for that by adding slightly more mgchlore/cachloride etc). However also compensating for the lost elements will raise sodium, chloride and sulfate, but there is a point where x amount of elements added and x amount of water removed break even in term of salts added and salts removed. And when I hit that point so4 is around 19 percent of chloride (that is the only thing I noticed).
I will add the table/graph later.. makes it much clearer. But I do have to note that I did change the Ca:kH ratio to 19,5:2,8 as your recipe is 18,5Ca per 2,8kH did not work for my sps tank ( I stear on kH, so this resulted in a slight Ca drop and increase in Mg), and the orginal contains more magnesiumchloride to calciumchloride maybe this ups the amount of total chlorides added. I will also calculate this as it may be very interesting..But this is JimWelch recipe so mayve kH:Ca is doses like balling classing 2,8:20.. I will have too see. But I am absolutely thrilled that this is a genuine 2-part now!